upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I'M A PROUD NEW DAD OF A 6 MONTH OLD BLUE AND GOLD I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT IS A BLOOD FEATHER? AND ARE THERE ANY HELPFUL TIPS ANYBODY CAN OFFER ME AS FAR AS MAKING MY MACAW HAPPY .AND ANY THINGS I SHOULD BE CAREFUL OF WHEN TAKING HIM TO THE VET?

I'M GOING TO BE SPOILING HIM LIKE CRAZY BUT I WANT TO BE CAREFUL AS WELL.

A "blood feather" is a feather that is growing in after the old feather has been shed (molted). Here is a link that gives an explanation and a pic: http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/bird ... athers.php
My "helpful tips" for keeping your B&G happy would be: research, research, research! (Read, read, read!) Browse thru the macaw posts on this forum; search for other forums, too... Lots of good "practical experience" info out there!

Blue and golds are great! I am very happy for you!

I encourage you to find an aviary vet as opposed to a general veternarian when he goes to the vets.

Do you know the sex of your fid yet? What is your B&G's name?

Schreech is a 9 year old male and we have had him since he was only a few months old.

I have been making good use of the internet finding out all kinds of info on macaws .i plan to take solomon <---thats his name , to a avian vet 3 towns away , unfortunately my regular vet for my dog does not handle exotic pets.he's a old farm boy so he only knows the basics .i found solomon loves bananas i can be in the kitchen slicing up a banana and it's like he has radar lol he sits on his cage eagerly awaiting his treat lol.i,m assuming he's a male but hopefully my vet can clear that up .the previous parents of solomon told me he's 6 months old , he still has a bit of greyish white baby feathers under his wings but mostly he has all his blue and yellow .i bought him a rope perch that i bent in a arch and attached each end to the top of his cage he loves it i leave his cage open he goes in when he's hungry . i was joking with a friend about him when he comes out of his cage . he looks like macaw kong (king kong)climbing the empire states cage lol.

Even a avian vet cannot tell a male from a female blue and gold so if you want to know you will need to have Solomon sexed .

No matter what enjoy Solomn!!! I know Schreech brings tons of joy to our lives!

Go gently on the bananas with Solomon

Bananas contain high amounts of Potassium, which in birds can cause damage to their liver and kidneys.

You should feed no more than 1 to 2 servings of bananas per week. A macaw serving is about a 4 inch piece of banana.

Congratulations on your new family member.